Free Bird [Tatum]

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It felt good to be on the move. Lance was in no particular hurry, but the feeling of the wind rushing against him and the uplifting sense of freedom that came with moving quickly was enough incentive to run. Granted, he couldn't really let loose to the degree that he wanted thanks to his duffel bag of a backpack and his usual business casual attire; parkour was a bit difficult when worrying about sullying your clothes and also carrying weight with no counterbalance.

As it was, he gazed almost longingly at his favorite shortcuts home as he passed them, like the one that led into the alleyway behind some of the main street's shops and up onto the rooftops for a while before dropping down and hopping over the divider wall in the backyard.

Of course, this took his eyes and mind off of where he was going usually for a second too long, and it was only with a quick twist of his lithe form did he avoid smashing into a few people. He uttered a quick "Sorry, 'scuse me!" before continuing on his way, but it wasn't long before his mind started drifting again. One of the unfortunate side effects of him running: he was in his own little world. So much so that the path ahead of him was just trees, buildings, and concrete; the people that wandered through it all virtually invisible to him.

He was what, halfway home now? Once he was there he could drop off his stuff, get changed into something more comfortable, and then he could really get running. Who knew, maybe he'd tear up Vista Square, or maybe the BackLight. Those were some of the best places to get good parkour in given all the clustered buildings and the urban atmosphere. Of course, if he really wanted to feel like a ninja he could ride down to Little Tokyo...

The tiny voice startled him from his thoughts, and he turned his head this way and that looking for the source of it. It wasn't until he looked down somewhat that he saw the little girl at his side... and then did a small double-take. Was she keeping up with him? Holy shit!

He slowed his pace, his long strides coming to a stop a few moments later. He turned to face her, bending over somewhat to put himself closer to her eye level.

"Hey, you're pretty fast!" he chirped with a friendly smile, taking a moment to smooth his clothing and gather himself. Granted, he wasn't exactly in sprinting mode, but for someone maybe a third of his size to be keeping up with him was saying something about the little girl. "I'm in no hurry though, really. I just like running. You must like it too, to be so fast. I, er... I didn't run you over, did I?"

She looked fine, for the most part, but you could never be sure with some kids. There were the type that bawled at any little scratch, and then those that had toughness for days.

The moment the little girl replied that he'd run into her, Lance's cheerful expression fell with a slight hint of concern. As she continued her little act, however, he broke out into a grin and gave a small laugh. The theatrical sort, was she?

"Twinkies?" he questioned with a laugh, standing back up to his full height. "Well then, I'm sorry. Would you like me to get you some more? Maybe while we go you can explain to me how you caught up to me if I 'left you plastered to the sidewalk,' huh?"

His tone was more playful than accusatory, though part of him was wondering quite a few things about this child. For starters, how the hell she managed to keep up with him. Secondly, where she'd come from; he hadn't even noticed her when he was running. And most importantly...

"Hey, are you out here all by yourself?" he questioned suddenly, looking around. No one around seemed to be her parent, as businessmen dragged themselves home after a long day and young partygoers headed toward downtown to get ahead of the nighttime bustle.

The laughs only continued as she kept up the act, though it seemed her own sense of humor would backfire as she couldn't help but break out into a smile herself. He had to give her credit for trying, right?

And it only got better, it seemed. Something about the term "free-range child" tickled him, reminding him of some of the more health-obsessed members of the track team who only ate chickens they could go out to East Eden and visit. Whether or not said chickens were [i]actually[/] free-range or just an industrial illusion was yet to be determined.

"I don't think we do, no," he managed through laughter at the crack in her facade. Once he settled down, he affixed himself on her last statement. On an errand?

"Oh, where you goin'?" he questioned somewhat reflexively, then realized the intrusiveness of his question. "Actually, you don't have to answer that if you don't wanna. You probably shouldn't be telling strangers where you're going."

Still, she wasn't carrying any sort of parcel so it wasn't like they were sending her to deliver something... Maybe she was going to the grocery store, or picking something up from somewhere. Though, why would they send a kid? Were they not that concerned about the dangers of the city? Sure it wasn't nighttime when all the really dangerous stuff supposedly went down, but...

"You think you'll be alright running that errand? I could keep an eye on you, if you want. Make sure no bullies or bad guys sneak up on you."

This kid was confident, wasn't she?

Even as the act seemed to be over, she was behaving like some heroic sidekick. Still, part of what she was saying caught his attention, and even as she continued to talk a small portion of his mind picked apart the meaning of the words. The art of shortcut-taking?

"Heh, yeah, I'm pretty quick, but I don't think I'll need any distractions from a kid to save me. I know a few shortcuts through this side of town myself. As a matter of fact, I bet I know even more than you." he taunted playfully.

He knew it was a dangerous game to play, provoking this obviously hot-spirited child, but she was too amusing for him to not try to rile up a little. Besides, he wasn't totally baseless on his challenge; he did know quite a few of Sunlake's ups and downs, and though the shrimp had plenty more of the low roads available to her thanks to her size, he had rooftops and walls. The skyline was his realm.

In accepting his little challenge, the little girl had fallen into an entirely different trap. A trap that Lance honestly hadn't intended to set, and hadn't even realized he needed to.

"Oh? So is that what you're doing now, exploring?" he questioned, leaning closer and placing a fist on his hip. Most people with kids worked during the day so that they could be home with them at night. At least, that was his perception. If that was the case, she was probably sneaking out instead of running an errand like she initially claimed.

"Although, I suppose it is a challenge. I'm game, although it's kinda not fair for me to have a handicap. If you're as good as you say you are." he explained, indicating the duffel bag over his shoulder. "Tell you what, you let me drop this off at home, and I'll school you, yeah?"

He chuckled, drawing himself back to his full height and folding his arms in expectation of her answer.

This kid was amusing in the most fantastic way, he had to give her that.

Still, a challenge was a challenge, and he was eager to see how someone so young went about "exploring the city." That said, he probably shouldn't have left her all by her lonesome again to take his bag home. Now that he knew there were no parents around to watch over her, he couldn't help but feel inclined to do it himself.

"Nah-uh, you don't get away that easy. You're coming with me, or at the very least staying in my sight. How do I know you won't try to find some new shortcuts while I'm running home?" he questioned, pouting. "Besides, I still don't think you should be running around by yourself. Not that you shouldn't be getting outside and having some fun."

His issue wasn't with the idea of the girl sneaking out or running away or whatever she could've been doing besides running an errand. It was with the fact that there was no one around to watch her back, and not everyone in the world saw a child as a sweet and innocent little being to nurture and protect. Besides, if she got into some other form of trouble like getting hurt or stuck somewhere as unattended children tended to, she'd need someone there to help.

Lance's pout shifted slightly from a look of accusation to one of mild guilt. She didn't seem to like what he was implying, though he couldn't really blame her. He was kind of accusing her of cheating, and no kid liked to be told they couldn't do things on their own because they were too young, or it was too dangerous.

Although, wait, she was perfectly capable of cheating on her own? The statement came as such a shock to the young man that he couldn't help but laugh.

"Wow, didn't your folks teach you it's bad to cheat?" he questioned, giving another little chuckle. "I dunno about gold nuggets, but I could probably swing chicken nuggets. They're about the same color, right? Anyway, come on, kid."

With that he turned, taking his long strides toward home. There was no need to run now, plus he fully intended on trying against this kid--at least somewhat--and thus expending unnecessary energy was a bad idea.

"By the way, I don't think you'd appreciate me callin' you kid forever. What's your name? I'm Lance, but you can call me Crow if you like that better."